Choice

Jirobo yelled in disbelief as the boy effortlessly blocked his attack and ignored him. He swung another fist, but the boy and Choji disappeared without a trace.

Jirobo frantically searched for them, and finally spotted the boy sitting Choji up against a tree. Jirobo scoffed at the boy's cocky behavior and insulted him.

The boy drew his black-hilted sword, and Jirobo felt his anger rise as the boy pointed the dark purple blade at him. The boy's blue eyes turned cold and red with killing intent.

"You've hurt my comrade," the boy spoke, charging his blade with lightning chakra. "Now, you will pay."

-.-

Kiba sniffs the air and exclaims,"*Sniff* We're getting close!"

Neji activates his Byakugan and observes their surroundings, noting the absence of traps. "How odd. There hasn't been a single trap so far," he remarks. "Shikamaru, what do you think?" he asks.

Shikamaru responds, "We're just being underestimated. They're probably assuming that Jirobo is the only one following us. No one would set traps against their own comrades."

Neji agrees, "That must be an accurate analysis. Certainly, we're being totally underestimated. But... this gives us a chance."

Shikamaru nods in agreement, "Yeah... let's take advantage of their vulnerability."

-.-

Tayuya, Sakon, and Kidomaru could be seen leaping through the trees with Kidomaru carrying a wooden basket on his back.

"Jirobo is late," Sakon remarks.

Kidomaru interjects, "No, he's already here."

Suddenly, "Jirobo" materializes behind them. "What took you so long?" Sakon inquires.

"Sorry... It took some time to extract the chakra from those bastards," Jirobo replies.

Tayuya scolds him, "You're so slow, you fatso! Hurry up and carry that coffin; that's your job, you inferior idiot!!" she yells.

Jirobo responds with a lackluster "Yeah..." as Tayuya and the others give him a questioning look.

Kidomaru turned to face Jirobo's imposter with a suspicious expression. "Hey, Jirobo," he said, eyeing him warily.

Jirobo answered, "What?"

Kidomaru continued, "I can't let you carry this coffin. Since you're not really Jirobo!" he exclaimed, causing the imposter to panic and draw his kunai.

"Let me handle it this time!" Kidomaru shouted as he tossed the wooden basket back to Tayuya and engaged in combat with the fake Jirobo.

"Jirobo always reminds Tayuya about her choice of words," Kidomaru explained, as the imposter was revealed to be Shikamaru.

"I see," Shikamaru replied with a smirk.

Kidomaru then used his technique, "Ninja law: Spider Chain!!" He spat webs from his mouth, which bound Shikamaru to a tree.

In a sudden turn of events, six identical copies of Naruto appeared and lunged at Kidomaru. Reacting quickly, Kidomaru dropped from the branch he was standing on.

"Ninja Law: Spider Web Opening!" Kidomaru shouted, and his spider webs shot out to trap the attacking Naruto clones.

Seizing the moment, Kiba and Akamaru launched an attack using their "Piercing Fang" technique. Although they nearly hit Kidomaru, he slung his threads in multiple directions, successfully dodging their attack while halting his fall.

Landing on a branch, Kiba exclaimed, "You think you can get away from us?!"

Kidomaru smirked in response, "My thoughts exactly. Look down at your feet."

Kiba did as he was told and realized that his legs had become entangled in Kidomaru's webs. Frustrated, he turned back towards his opponent and shouted, "You think you've caught us with just this? It's too early to celebrate, you loser!"

Meanwhile, Kidomaru hung upside down in the air with a smug expression on his face, completely unaware of the enemy lurking behind him.

-.-

Tayuya and Sakon were both on the move, leaping from one tree to another. Tayuya was visibly angry, cursing loudly as she went.

"Damn. What the hell is that fatty doing!? That shithead!" she ranted, clearly frustrated.

Sakon, on the other hand, appeared more regretful than angry. "I knew that it was a mistake to leave the weakest one of the four..." he muttered to himself.

Despite their differing emotions, both of them knew that Jirobo's absence could prove to be a major issue. They were in the middle of a mission, and they needed all four of them to be present in order to succeed. With Jirobo missing, their chances of success were significantly reduced.

-.-

Observing Kiba's grin, Kidomaru sensed a presence behind him and evaded the sneak attack just in time, realizing it was Neji who missed. He swiftly combined chakra in his multiple arms and hurled webs at the suspended Hyuga, trapping him in a cocoon. Meanwhile, Shikamaru watched from the tree, feeling uncertain if their plan to win against the enemy was still viable with the current situation.

As Naruto attempted to break free from the webs using his kunai, he expressed frustration, wondering why they wouldn't cut. Kidomaru towered over him, his expression resembling that of a spider closing in on its prey.

Kidomaru taunted Naruto, addressing him as "kage bunshin" and appeared to be gathering chakra in his mouth. Soon, he retrieved six golden spikes from his mouth, leaving Naruto and the others wondering what his next move would be.

-Meanwhile inside the cocoon-

Inside the cocoon, Neji felt stuck and thought to himself, 'I'm trapped here. This stickiness... It's a combination of his chakra and body fluids.' Neji deduced and continued his analysis, 'Furthermore, it still maintains its strength even after leaving his body. His jutsu is beyond reality.' Neji admired Kidomaru's jutsu.

Neji then closed his eyes, but kept his Byakugan active as he focused on his tenketsu and said to himself, "Let my chakra flow..."

-Back to the fight-

Shikamaru was taken aback as he witnessed Kidomaru's golden spikes solidifying before his eyes.

With a menacing smirk, Kidomaru aimed his spikes at Naruto and declared, "Hehe... You're my first prey so I'll make it entertaining."

"Let's play a game of 'guess the real body,' shall we?" he taunted, infuriating the web-bound blond.

"The first one will be the one at the end!" Kidomaru shouted as he launched a spike at one of Naruto's clones, impaling it as it disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Heh... It was a clone, eh? Well then..." he continued as he raised his hand, armed with another spike. "The next one is this one!" he yelled, throwing it at another web-bound clone that also vanished upon impact.

"You're a real lucky guy," Kidomaru chuckled to himself as he threw two more spikes, dispersing two more clones.

"Hahaha, he's so lucky! This time it's gonna be one of 'em!!" he cackled as he hurled another spike at one of the blonde forms, which dispersed once again upon impact.

Kidomaru laughed as he raised the last spike. "Now there's only one left," he said with a shrug. "It was fun saving the real one for last, but the game's over now." With that, he threw the spike and it pierced through the web-bound Naruto, seemingly ending the battle.

Kidomaru was abruptly interrupted from his moment of triumph as the clone suddenly dispersed. He was taken aback by this, thinking to himself, 'What the hell just happened?'

However, before he could react, a swift kick landed on his jaw, sending him flying into the air. He managed to regain his balance mid-air, landing on a nearby tree, where he looked up to see who had attacked him.

Kidomaru reflected to himself, 'So he only used clones and hid himself all along, waiting for an opportunity to attack. Not bad for a mere pawn. However...' He then yanked his hand back, swiftly pulling Naruto towards him. Startled, Naruto asked, "When did he...?" But before he could finish, Neji appeared, interrupting Kidomaru's plan by slicing through the invisible string that bound Naruto's hand.

Kidomaru's eyes widened in surprise and he regarded Neji more warily, thinking to himself, 'He managed to cut through my strings!?'

Neji then landed gracefully on a nearby tree beside Shikamaru and glared at Kidomaru over his shoulder, declaring confidently, "You guys go... I'll handle this."

Kidomaru contemplated Neji's statement as he watched the two shinobi. His thoughts raced as he tried to come up with a plan to overcome this obstacle.

'He's a Hyuga, which means he's a master of taijutsu and the Byakugan. I can't take him lightly,' Kidomaru thought as he formed a hand sign.

He then shot webs at Neji, but the Hyuga easily dodged them with his superior speed and agility. Neji then activated his Byakugan, analyzing Kidomaru's movements and chakra points.

Kidomaru knew that he was at a disadvantage and needed to come up with a new strategy quickly.

-.-

As Menma walked away from Jirobo, he suddenly heard a voice in his head.

"Menma," Kurama spoke through telepathy, "I know you're angry, but you can't kill Jirobo."

Menma paused as his brows slightly furrowed, 'I know you're right,' Menma said, feeling a sense of calm wash over him. 'But what can I do? Jirobo is too dangerous to let go.'

"Make him an ally," Kurama suggested. "We need strong allies, and Jirobo is certainly that. Besides, if he joins us, he can make amends for his past mistakes and help us in the future."

Menma considered this for a moment. It was true that Jirobo was incredibly powerful, and having him as an ally could be a huge asset. And maybe, just maybe, Jirobo could change his ways and become a valuable member of their team.

"All right," Menma said, determined. "I'll spare Jirobo and try to convince him to join us."

Menma stood over Jirobo's bloodied body, his crimson eyes glinting menacingly.

"Do you want to live?" he asked, raising his sword to Jirobo's neck.

Jirobo said nothing, looking at Menma through bloodied lips. "Who wouldn't?" he chuckled weakly. "But I doubt you'll spare me. After all, I almost killed your friend."

Menma regarded him for a moment before making an offer. "If you want to live, take my hand." He lowered his sword and his eyes returned to their usual blue. "Or," he said, raising his sword again, "die."

Jirobo felt a shiver run down his spine at Menma's words. He had seen how powerful Menma was and knew he could easily kill him.

Jirobo hesitated, unsure of what to do. He was a subordinate of Orochimaru and had the cursed seal. But Menma didn't seem to care. "Once you become one of my people, fear will only be a distant memory," Menma said.

He unrolled a scroll and summoned a mask. "Take this mask and wear it, and you will be one of my people."

Jirobo closed his eyes and took a deep breath before nodding his acceptance.

Excellent

Menma smiled and placed his hand on Jirobo's chest, pumping chakra into him.

After a while, Jirobo's wounds had healed enough for him to walk. Menma then instructed him to disguise himself as him and carry Choji back to the village, giving him the mask before leaving.